How I Met Your Mother
by foxtrotelly
Summary: Natsume gives in to telling bedtime stories, Ruka offers girl advice, while Tsubasa gets reminiscent about a tuna sandwich. Three different stories,three different periods in time, and three different versions, of how they met your mothers - Retold.
1. Tie A Ribbon 'Round Part I

So here was a random idea out of nowhere, just to portray what I want to happen years later after they graduate. And it's sort of related to my second story "My 'Less-Than-Perfect' BabyBearing Diaries", so if you have time, feel free to read it so that it could be easier to put the pieces together in this story.

**Disclaimer: **Foxtrotelly wishes she was a genius like Higu-sensei, owner of GA.

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_This Boy wants to play, there's no time left today,_

_It's a shame, 'cause he has to go home..._

_This Boy's got to work, got to sweat, just to pay what he gets to get left all alone._

**How I Met Your Mother: Retold**

_**How I Met Your Mother – Tie a ribbon 'round a Sakura tree**_

The springs creaked as a certain midnight-haired boy, who wasn't much of a boy now, sat on his daughter's bedside.

"Ok, so your Momma told me that I was in charge of tucking you in tonight, so there." Natsume plainly told his six year-old daughter Natsuki.

"Really? Is that so?" Natsuki adorably pouted as she bounced on her covers.

"Yup." Natsume lightly chuckled.

"Well…Fine with me! Could you tell me a bedtime story, Poppa?" She suddenly piped up, vaguely reminding Natsume of their strange similarities.

"Hmmm… How about Little Red Riding Hood?" He pulled out a book from the shelf.

"Nah."

"The Boy and His Whale?"

"Eh?"

"Cinderella?"

"Ugh, don't be so cliché Poppa…" The six year-old rolled her crimson eyes at her equally crimson-eyed father, its tantalizing color matching the ruby red orbs that dangled on Natsuki's dream catcher that hung on the window.

"Well, you're a toughie…" Natsume raised a joking eyebrow at his giggling daughter.

"Whatcha wanna listen to then?"

Little Natsuki thought long and hard, until finally, a light bulb sparked above her head.

"Ah! Got it! Why don't you tell me how you met Momma?"

"What?!"

"Please Poppa?" She flashed a dazzling smile she inherited from her mother and used frequently against her father.

"Fine, then. Lemme see…" Natsume thoughtfully scratched his chin.

_The late summer wind blew across the streets of Tokyo, sweeping the face of a blonde-haired teacher and a pigtailed brunette he had just rescued from two seemingly intoxicated men. From the shade of a big Sakura tree, a boy in a cat mask watched the two of them as the girl accused the man of being a transvestite for using his unusual Alice. _

"Hold on Poppa, what's a transvestite?"

"Uhh, I'll tell you when you're older…"

"Ok! Continue…" Natsuki let the subject pass while Natsume sighed in relief.

_The man tried to use his Alice on the girl, only to find out that the girl possessed the Nullification Alice, therefore rendering the man's human pheromones useless. The man's name was Narumi Anjou, and he was a teacher at Gakuen Alice, a school for the so-called "Alice" geniuses. And the girl's name was Mikan Sakura_

_XD-XD-XD_

_As a resulting punishment from the man named Narumi for blowing up a wall and attempting to escape from school, the boy in the cat mask, the infamous Natsume Hyuuga – _

"Hah! That's you Poppa! You're the Black Cat!" Natsuki Hyuuga let out a cheeky grin, hugging her stuffed black cat tighter in her arms.

Natsume incredulously rolled his eyes at his daughter's remarkable 'density' that was also an attribute she got from her mother.

_The boy in the cat mask, Natsume Hyuuga, woke up only to discover that the girl he met at the entrance was also there with him in the staff room, kissing a photo album that held pictures of her and her best friend. He threatened to burn her hair if she didn't answer his question, but having the Nullification Alice, Natsume's Fire Alice had no effect on the girl and their squabble was interrupted by another golden-haired boy named Ruka Nogi, acting as the rescue party and also Natsume's best friend, who came crashing through the window with the help of a giant bird. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_"See you later… Polka dot panties. *waves*" And with that, the midnight-haired fire caster Natsume Hyuuga, and blonde animal pheromone boy Ruka Nogi went off into the setting sun, leaving bawling Mikan who just got her underwear stolen, behind with Narumi-sensei and Misaki-sensei._

_XD-XD-XD_

"So… It was true that Momma went to the Academy because of Auntie Hotaru?" Natsuki snuggled up more under her covers.

Natsume nodded.

"Woah! The power of friendship! Such a wonderful thing!" The little awestruck girl squealed excitedly.

"Wanna sleep now?" Natsume said a little nervously. _Ugh, this is where the cheesy parts come in._

"No way Poppa! This is too good!" She bubbled with enthusiasm, making it seem that Natsume's planned out bedtime story woke her up more rather than lulled her to sleep.

_"I can't leave you behind! And I'm already here… Because you're my partner, of course I'm worried…" _

_Mikan's words struck the cold Natsume Hyuuga like lightning in this storm-like situation they got themselves into. 'Who is this girl, anyway?' were the words that repeatedly played themselves in Natsume's head. He was in complete shock at the moment not only because they were surrounded by the enemy, but also because no one has ever cared about him this way…_

_Soon, a huge explosion was heard throughout the whole seaside warehouse, blowing Natsume and Mikan away because of the extremely strong impact. And yet strangely, the two ten year-olds were kept safe beside each other, as if by a divine force…_

_XD-XD-XD_

_"Is there something I'm doing that irks you? If there is, just say so."_

_The auburn autumn leaves crunched noisily under their feet, and they were just as crisp as the words a rueful boy had let go. _

_"Everything… Everything irks me. I hate everything about you. Don't come near me."_

_And just like that, were the scars on their hearts formed. The blows were never meant to be dealt, but Natsume had to utter them out, because there was always a reason behind everything he said. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_The moonlight had its way of bathing the place with a mysterious glow, casting off hushed conversations in the night and unexpected events to take place thereafter. _

_"If one day I can successfully make an Alice stone, at that time, I'll give it to Sakura. So when that day comes, you must accept it!"_

_"…Yeah. Then, let's exchange! I'll give the stone I make to Ruka-pyon too!" _

_…And even lure in the most residual eavesdropper of all. _

_"Natsume! What are you doing here?"_

_"…"_

_"…Just now, you were talking to Ruka about the Alice stone."_

_"You heard the conversation I had with Ruka?"_

_"Do you know what it means to exchange Alice stones?"_

"So, Momma never knew how the tradition worked before regarding Alice stones?"

"Nope, she never did until she found out a few months later…"

"Woah! Momma's so stupid!" Natsuki Hyuuga laughed evilly at her mother's figure, the oh-so dense Mikan Sakura, the slow ten year-old.

Natsume chortled along with his daughter. He heaved a sigh, _'If only you knew…'_

_Ruka, Natsume's best friend, also developed feelings for Mikan, but it was incomparable to Mikan and Natsume's unusual relationship. Together, they faced battles, problems, and dances being the uncanny pairing the Academy recognized as Narumi's doing. They became each other's strength during the Z infiltration, experienced a masquerade mishap during the Christmas dance, shared their first kiss on the same night on the same Sakura tree that held so many of their fondest memories, and even had their first Alice stone exchange with each other. Not to mention the times when their unspoken bond grew stronger, and blossomed into something new. Though they never spoke or admitted it out to each other, Natsume perfectly knew his feelings, and was secretly hoping that Mikan would come to notice her feelings too. But unfortunately…_

"Unfortunately what?" Natsuki retorted at Natsume's last sentence that hung lazily in the air, unanswered.

"It's, well, an incident happened." The wind howled with Natsume's last words, making both father and daughter shiver from the cold.

_The Elementary School Principal discovered Mikan's second Alice, the Stealing Alice, and used her as a trap to lure in her mother, Yuka. When the others found out about this, they decided to take Natsume, Ruka his best friend, Mikan, her best friend Hotaru, their seniors Tsubasa, Nobara, and Tono, on a journey to the past, just so that Mikan would know about her mother, father, the ESP and everybody else. And of course, Natsume sensing Mikan's early departure, took the opportunity to confess his feelings for her, just before the time arc…_

_"The woman love, as I see her sink in the same darkness I'm in, what damn things might happen in the future, those types of thoughts can't enter my mind now. The future you guys want, I don't care about that, from now on, whatever happens, I'll protect this person…" _

_The words of declaration, the words that stated a love of a lifetime…_

"Aww, Poppa!" Natsuki uttered in adoration. Natsume noticed that Natsuki completely understood the entire story, so maybe she took after him after all in terms of 'brains'.

"But unfortunately…" Natsume continued.

_But unfortunately, Mikan had to go away and escape the danger that loomed within the Academy's once safe walls. Mikan went away with her long-lost mother Yuka, leaving behind her classmates, her teachers, her friends, and Natsume. _

Natsume stopped as he saw a tear trickle down his daughter's cheek.

"Hey, hey now. What's there to be sad about? You're here now, right?" Natsume wiped a fat tear on Natsuki's round face, sweeping a few strands of her brown locks and tucking them behind her ear.

"But…" Natsume started in a lighter tone.

"But w-what?" The little girl sobbed.

_But…_

_If you say that this is an unfair world, who can call it biased if there are rainbows after storms, calmness after a turbulent hurricane, and peace after a long-lived war? _

"And Momma said, _'I came back five years later, after the war ended within Gakuen Alice, I returned to where I once reunited with Hotaru, learned about my roots, made great friends, and found love.'_" Natsuki solemnly murmured her mother's exact words when she told her how she met first met her father. The little crimson-eyed brunette girl sat up.

Natsume smiled.

_They met under the same Sakura tree, and Natsume pulled her into a deep embrace. And it was also under its almighty shade where Ruka learned to let go of his feelings and found a new fleeting love, Mikan shared many meaningful conversations with almost anybody that rested under its shade, Natsume almost burned Mikan's hair again, and lazy afternoons were spent reading mangas or playing with little white rabbits while chatting away on how the day came and went. And there, under the aged Sakura tree, a boy broke a promise..._

The midnight-haired man stopped, for remembering was too painful.

"What happened next Poppa?" Natsuki's voice rang around the room, the windchimes tinkling and the owls hooting in their wake.

_This Girl tries her best everyday, but it's all gone to waste,_

_'Cause there's no one around. _

_This Girl she can draw, she can paint,_

_Likes to dance, she can skate,_

_Now she don't make a sound. _

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The story takes place within two chapters, so I hope you patiently wait for the next one. :) Please review! XD


	2. Tie A Ribbon 'Round Part II

Here we go with the continuation of our first story! Hope you enjoy!

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_I'm still here, but it hasn't been easy._

_I'm sure that you had your reasons._

_I'm scared, of all this emotion,_

_For years I've been holding it down._

_**How I Met Your Mother – Tie a ribbon 'round a Sakura Tree**_

"I-I regretted the time I let your Momma down…" Natsume blinked away the tears that seemed to form in his eyes. He looked out the window, unwilling to let his daughter see him cry.

"Poppa…" Natsuki murmured as she tugged on her father's shirt.

Natsume turned to face his daughter, the vague familiarity washing away the feelings of regret. He sat down and let Natsuki crawl onto his lap.

_Everyone knew Natsume Hyuuga as the Infamous Black Cat for the number of undercover work he did for the school every year. As one of the top recruits of the Academy, he was responsible for infiltrating corporations, burning down enemy lands, damaging millions of dollars worth of property, and injuring or even killing countless numbers of people, by fault or by accident, innocent or not. _

Natsume paused, taking in the shocked expression on his daughter's face. It was such a shame to taint the innocence of such a child. Natsuki breathed in.

"D-do you want me to continue?"

"Yes, Poppa. Please do."

_Natsume's missions were always out of the random. This means he was given an assignment whenever his teacher, Persona, or the Elementary School Principal felt like it. _

"Persona?" Natsuki cocked her head.

"That man's long gone, don't worry." Natsume said nonchalantly, a crease forming in his forehead.

"But I thought the Elementary School Principal was gone after Momma came back?"

"Well, after Principal Kounji was overthrown, people that were affected or were inflicted pain by the Gakuen took it under siege."

_The siege of Gakuen Alice was a well-kept secret that the majority of the student body never knew about. It was meant to be that way so that the quiet equilibrium and peace that the school worked so hard to attain would not vanish yet again. And of course, the only ones who knew about it were the former Kikkenouryoku-kei students who were experienced in the field of undercover work. They were frequently sent out to control the angry mobs and protestors, but were never allowed to let anyone outside the so-called "Secret Circle" know of their various activities outside the Academy walls, whether life endangering or not. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_It's been years since Mikan Sakura's return to the Gakuen and the formation of the "Secret Circle" composed of the 'Guardians' that once belonged to the Dangerous Abilities Class. Graduation was drawing near for "Narumi's Class", with Yuu Tobita graduating as top of the class, Hotaru Imai following in second, and Ruka Nogi falling in as third of his class. As usual, everyone was very excited to leave the academy and start new lives as successful Alice prodigies the world was ready to welcome. Mikan and the others already had their futures planned out in their minds, all of them knowing what they wanted to become later on with their lives. All except for one boy. _

_Natsume Hyuuga never put thought on what he saw himself as a few years later he busted out of the academy, because thanks to the past 'cost-my-life' missions Persona once gave him, it took off almost ten years in his already shortened life, having him expect his self to be dead by the time he reaches 21. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_Time flew by so quick and before everyone knew it, the once noisy class of 2B made up of the loudest and most elusive ten year olds the Gakuen has ever laid eyes on was the graduating class of that year. And now that they were clad in midnight blue togas and grad caps, they proudly made their way to the stage for the very last time. _

_Their Alice teachers, even had an array of emotions set aside for that certain class. Serina-sensei gave them here most sincere congratulations, while Jinno-sensei wished them a solemn good luck for whatever lay ahead. Misaki-sensei, who was rarely seen ever displaying any hint of emotion, gave them his best display of happiness; which was a really tiny tugging of lips forming a small smile of approval, while Narumi-sensei burst out into tears of "joyful sadness". _

_Everyone was present for the proudest event in their lives, and yet, they were TOO excited to notice the absence of one particular person. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_As Natsume fended off the growing crowd that was becoming more and more violent in time for the sudden rush of departing people, graduation caps flew everywhere as the 'once ten year olds of class 2B' bid their farewells and parted, expectant of the new future that lay ahead. Everyone was happy, excited to leave. And as everyone started leaving, one by one, a certain brunette waited in eager anticipation for a certain crimson-eyed boy to arrive, right under the shade of their Sakura tree…_

Natsume looked down as he retold this painful chapter of his life. Just the mere thought of leaving Mikan out, alone in the cold night made him blame himself even more, even though they already made up a long time ago. His mistake of breaking their promise to meet each other by the tree after graduation still left him guilty and haunted up to this very day.

So maybe he shouldn't have told his daughter about this shameful experience. It only made him feel worse as a husband and lover who never kept his word.

"Poppa! Poppa! Don't cry!" Natsuki put a hand on her father's quivering cheek.

Natsume didn't want to give in to the act of crying and showing his vulnerability right in front of Natsuki.

"It's ok! Momma loves you, and I'm sure she's forgiven you already after all these years! And you have me… So what is there to be so sad about?" She flashed a grin at Natsume, who looked straight into her sincere and unwavering eyes.

Crimson locked with crimson as Natsume's somber expression turned into a small gentle smile.

"You're right."

_Natsume found Mikan's old hair ribbon tied around a branch of the Sakura tree and a note. It read:_

_I waited 'til it was cold, but you never came. I'm sorry. –Mikan_

_As the ashes of the burnt letter slowly fell to the ground in gray wisps, Natsume felt a foreign object splash onto his hand. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_Summer's blistering heat and sizzling weather slowly gave way in time for Autumn to shed a few leaves and blow its chilly winds. And before everyone knew it, delicate snowflakes gracefully fell to the ground, creating a sheet of immaculate snow that spread like a blanket all over the place, creating an icy, winter wonderland. Soon, all the ice melted away as Spring brought forth new life that sprouted and thrived everywhere, bringing in warmth and relief from the past winter and even fresh hope for some completely frozen within the ice. _

_Then, this fascinating cycle, that felt almost like a routine to some others, found a way of repeating itself, over and over again._

_As he watched the seasons pass by in complete oblivion, he carried on with his life after graduating from Gakuen Alice. This boy wistfully looked forward to the day when he'd finally meet his first and only love again. And though he looked pretty much alive on the outside, he had long been dead already, locking up all the feelings that he's ever had inside his heart, waiting only for them to be awakened by the moment he sees her again._

_Natsume, now finally fulfilling his dream of finally busting out of the Academy, had surprisingly outlived his own estimated life expectancy after waking up on the morning of November 27__th__, the day right after his 21__st__ birthday. He lazily trudged to the calendar as he took note of the baby shower on the 30__th__. Natsume thought of why he'd actually care about going to the said event since he never gave a care about anything at all, but suddenly remembered this was the opportunity he has been waiting for all this time…_

"Wait!" Little Natsuki held out her hands in front of her.

"Yes?" Natsume lifted his head.

"What happened? How did you live for so long?"

"My Alice… it diminished with age." The former Black Cat formed a tiny spark on his hand that was quickly choked out the second it turned blue. His eyes glinted at the sight of his once almighty fire disappearing before him and his daughter.

"I'm so sorry, Poppa." Natsuki held Natsume's hand.

"It's ok." He kissed her pink cheek.

_"Mikan! There's a dashing young man waiting for you outside!" An old man's voice was clearly heard from the outside of a small house in the countryside. _

_"Eh?! Really Jii-chan? Tell him I'd be right there!", came the reply of a familiar voice Natsume came to love throughout the years. _

_There was a series of footsteps then the sound of sliding doors banging open. _

_"RU – "She stopped dead, her face paling. _

_"Mikan…" _

_Her hazel eyes narrowed, "What are you doing here?" _

_"I came to apologize." _

_"Apologize?! You think that's what I want you to do?" She spat back, her venomous words deeply lashing at Natsume's locked up heart. _

_"Look…" Natsume's tone rose, his irritation slightly getting triggered. _

_"Look what? I waited for you that time, and you never came! And even though the sun already set and it gradually continued to grow cold, I stayed! And you never came!" Mikan shot at him, her body ready to turn back around and slam the door behind her._

_"Mikan… I had my responsibilities ok? It was all for not only your safety, but the entire school's as well!" The midnight-haired boy, who was now more of a man, said in an honest voice. _

_"Oh please! Don't give me that 'I have my principles' speech again." Mikan sardonically mimicked, her pale face turning red in anger. _

_"WELL. Look who's talking?! You were never asked to risk your life on those senseless missions the Academy gave me, you were never given the heavy responsibility of ensuring and protecting the safety of the entire school, and I believe you never carried the burden of knowing that your life would probably end shortly in your early twenties, just like that!" Natsume heatedly countered back, not forgetting to snap his fingers in front of Mikan's face as he said the last three words. _

_"And if you had SO many burdens, why did you have to keep them from me?! What was the point of carrying them all by yourself, when you perfectly knew WE HAD YOUR BACK." She retorted back as she clenched her fists. _

_Natsume opened his mouth to argue, but Mikan was apparently quicker. _

_"And don't tell me this is all about being a man!"_

_Natsume felt the bile in his throat after having seen the last straw vanish away with Mikan's statement. _

_"Didn't I have to wait out in the cold too?!" _

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You completely ignored me during the shower, not to mention the fact that I had to wait until three in the morning on a cold November night just to be snubbed yet again!" _

_"What?"_

_"I waited for you, just like you did for me." _

_"But…"_

_"Look, ugly, I'm sorry. And if you don't feel like accepting my apology because of 'YOUR principles,' then fine with me!" _

_"Natsume… I didn't know… I thought you weren't firm with your word. I, I thought you forgot about me." Mikan's softened voice broke. _

_"Impossible, tch." _

_Mikan weakly smiled. _

_"Argh. I can't believe I came all the way here for your birthday gift where the temperature's a freezing negative 10 outside!" Natsume's gentle tone suddenly turned back into his arrogant and haughty tenor as he pulled his hooded parka tighter around his body. _

_"G-gift?" Apparently, Mikan, her lips blue and her cheeks red, too noticed the drastic decrease in the already cold weather as wrapped her arms around herself. _

_Natsume held out a round scarlet charm that hung delicately on a thin silver chain._

_Mikan's eyes widened as Natsume took out another ring to match. _

_"Now are you going to let me in or not?" The midnight-haired man raised a cynical eyebrow. _

_"O-of course." The brunette lady stuttered out of shock._

_"Mikan! What's taking you so long out? It's practically subzero out there!" Yuka-san's shrill worried voice echoed from inside the house. _

_"I'll b-be right th-there Mama!" Mikan called back. _

_"Care to join us?" She extended a hand to Natsume, while flashing off Natsume's favorite winner smile. _

_"Sure, why not?" He shrugged. _

_As they walked to the door, they both sneezed at the same time. _

"…And that was the story of how I met your mother." Natsume closed his eyes at the sudden gush of memories that came to him at that very moment.

"Amazing…Poppa…Sweet…M'like…Momma…" Natsuki murmured in between her yawns, finally laying down to bed.

"I'm glad you liked it." Natsume gave a small grin to his daughter.

"Momma…Till 'ow….Why…Polka……." The little six year old brunette's last words gradually turned into soft snores that filled up the entire room. Now with her chest steadily rising and falling, a smile and a peaceful expression on her round little face, her father was reassured she was going to have pleasant dreams tonight.

Natsume got up and kissed Natsuki's forehead, and patted her cheek while sweeping away some of her chestnut brown curls. He tucked the little girl in more snugly.

He heaved a sigh as he walked out the room and switched off the lights. The former fire caster took a last look around her daughter's room that was now bathed in the light of her purple night light and the glow that was casted off from the moon. Outside her open window, the countryside stars twinkled just like Mikan and Natsuki's eyes. Both their eyes held different colors, but if put together let out that same sparkle. Natsume smiled as he gently closed the door behind him.

"I told you the Black Cat would make a good father and storyteller someday." Middle-aged Mikan stood there before Natsume in the hallway, her face aged with a few wrinkles there an then but her eyes and smile just as dazzling as before.

Natsume chortled as he took Mikan into his arms.

_And I love to forgive and forget,_

_So I try to put all this behind us._

_Just know, that my arms are wide open,_

_The older I get, the more that I know..._

_Well, it's time to let this go._

_This Boy by James Morrison  
_

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Tadah! So there goes the first story! Hope you really liked it. :) So please do leave your reviews, mmkay? Wait for my next story, "Yellow and Purple". Yosh! XD


	3. Yellow and Purple Part I

Sorry for the long wait, but I'm finally finished with part I of my 2nd story. :D Hope you like it. :)

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_'Cause she's bittersweet, she knocks me off of my feet,_

_And I can't help myself, I don't want anyone else._

_She's a mystery, she's too much for me,_

_But I keep coming back for more,_

_She's just the girl I'm looking for.  
_

**How I Met Your Mother: Retold**

_**How I Met Your Mother - Yellow and Purple**_

As the crickets chirped, the owls hooted, and the people snored away in their own homes in this peaceful night, a 'golden'-haired boy was experiencing the exact same opposite.

As eight year-old Ryumi Nogi tossed and turned in his covers, his expressions turned from horrified to super horrified to grossed out and back to the same cycle all over again. Beads of sweat trickled down his pallid face as he mumbled some choice words incoherently.

Then he let out a blood curling scream.

"GAAAAAAAAAH!" Ryumi's shout of horror shattered the silence of the tranquil night.

"What? What? What happened?!" Ruka burst in the room, a baseball bat in one hand while the other tried to hold on to his untied bathrobe.

"It was just a dream…Just a dream…Not true, it never was…." The nervous boy muttered quietly to himself as he rocked himself back and forth with his arms wrapped around his legs.

"Ryumi, are you ok?" Ruka asked worriedly as he sat down beside his son and wiped away the thin layer of sweat that formed on Ryumi's forehead.

"Uhh…I had a bad dream Papa." He buried his face in his knees.

"About?"

"This girl. This girl in school who won't stop bugging me. She always likes to tease me and won't stop making fun on my purple eyes. Then, she also likes calling me names and smacking the back of my head even though I've never done anything to her. And lastly, she won't lay me off for liking her best friend…" His terrified amethyst eyes stared off into the distance.

"And?"

"Well… I dreamt th-that w-we were going out…" He shuddered.

Ruka chuckled, only to be grimly scowled at by his own son seconds later.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry, Ryumi. But you know, I think I understand." Ruka wiped a stray tear forming in a corner of his eye, "Tell you what? Why don't I tell you a story about a boy and a girl?"

"What?"

"The story's about a boy who kept getting bullied and blackmailed by this girl, and, I think, the boy understands what you're going through right now." Ruka patted Ryumi's hunched shoulder.

"Really… I don't think anybody can ever – "

"I just want you to know, ok?" Ruka smugly grinned as Ryumi cocked an eyebrow.

_Stoic and stiff, the new student faced her classmates in a contemptuous manner. And soon enough, as she scanned the entire room of strange kids, their eyes met. With the fragrant cherry blossom petals blowing gracefully outside the window, the moment of their prolonged eye contact seemed almost perfect, but, well it wasn't exactly perfect._

_XD-XD-XD_

"_Ah! Found her!"_

_A couple boys from class 2B told on her, telling the school's infamous fire caster to use his Alice on the weird new girl who seemed to use her invented guns as a means of protecting herself from looming idiots and morons._

_And right there, the wind blew in gusts of an eerie silence as the school's elusive Black Cat came face to face with the new transferee. The boy stood by his best friend's side perceptively eyeing the new girl, while a dark aura emanated from the Black Cat himself. The girl, in turn, stared back at them apathetically, yet cautiously at the same time. _

"So, the girl was a new student... What does that have to do with the boy?" The eight year old boy asked Ruka.

"You'll see." Ruka muttered.

_Yet as the weeks passed, the boy had this odd feeling he was being watched as the girl little by little found a name for herself for notably selling out unwanted stolens to crazy fangirls and animals alike. _

"_Waah! [Insert name here]!"_

_Some fangirls flocked around the girl who appeared to be working on some sort of bizarre mechanism._

"_1 piece for 100." She muttered plainly as the orders and cash kept coming._

_The people around the girl's table squealed as they gathered around closer. _

"_Kawaai!" _

"_Kyaah! I love that shot!"_

"_I can't believe he spends more time with Usagi than he does with us!"_

_The boy, who was currently talking with a friend, turned back as he carefully scrutinized the ongoing ruckus. _

"Oh, I see." Ryumi mumbled as he squirmed in his position.

Ruka tied his bathrobe and resumed with his story.

_The months dragged by drearily for the new girl, but nevertheless she continued to produce inventions like mad until she was promoted to a three-star ranking. Numerous people congratulated her for her success and accomplishments, but none of them seemed to take effect on her as she constantly grew more depressed each day. _

_But then, her mood drastically changed when SHE came…_

_The newest Alice student, a cheery and bubbly nullifier, turned out to be the girl's best friend. And when the day she came to the Academy arrived, the girl's mood turned less cold and the boy for once, saw her smile. _

_Her smile was tiny yet made a very big impact on the boy, it didn't seem to hold a lot of emotion, but the boy knew it held all the feelings the girl ever had, and it still looked cold, but the boy was perfectly aware that it was a warm smile, just for her best friend. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_Then, the boy fell in love…_

'_Whenever I'm with her, my heart feels like it's grown wings, peeled aside the dark mist, allowing the warm sunlight to stream right in. Embraced by warm, warm sunlight, it's like I forget the current situation, and let myself fly free, unfettered. If I could always have that kind of feeling – when that day comes, I wonder when that day will actually come…'_

_She was everything he saw, and everything he ever wanted to be. He found comfort and freedom just by being in her presence, and he thought she had the brightest eyes and smile that could light up the entire sky. _

_He however, didn't fall for the girl herself, but with her best friend instead. And though he never knew if it was a simple infatuation or love itself, he felt guilty for liking the same and only girl his best friend liked too. _

"Hey, I think I get it!" The eight year old boy suddenly straightened up, startling his father in the process.

"Papa! Did you know my best friend also likes the same girl? And, and, uhh!" He turned to face Ruka and gripped his arm.

The blustery April wind blew in through the window, sending the papers in his room flying while both father and son's hair got tousled even more. The strong blows also resulted to Ryumi's globe model spinning wildly on the shelf above his head, hitting a toy car in the process which in turn bumped into the picture frame that had their family picture in it, leaving it falling once and for all, into Ruka's open palm. And as if nature found a way to indicate when Ruka made an important discovery, Ryumi raised a brow at his smug-faced father.

"…Is that so?" Ruka slyly grinned as a light bulb appeared above his head, causing his son to back away a few inches or so.

_For the boy, his feelings for the cheerful Nullifier continuously flourished as they went through menacing battles, nerve-wracking dances, and grueling exams together. With that girl, he planted his very first kiss on her cheek, had the most memorable dance of his boyhood, first proposed using Alice stones, and felt the liberating feel of falling in love for the very first time. _

_Yes this boy, who knew nothing about love, was downright crazy, head-over-heels, and all blushing for this girl. And yet, she never knew how he felt…_

_XD-XD-XD_

_Nevertheless, the OTHER girl never stopped blackmailing the boy with stolen photos of him, which always disgruntled the poor boy for hours, days, weeks and months on end. _

_But then, as they got older, things just got more complicated and out of hand. The girl the boy came to like was discovered to have a second Alice which only put her and the people closest to her in danger…_

_XD-XD-XD_

_As he stood there, panting, he watched his best friend hold on to the girl he liked as if he would never let go. The boy clutched his chest as he felt the sudden pang of emotions that hit him like a giant wave. And though he was out of breath and all, he never knew if this heavy weight in his heart was caused by his complete exhaustion. ._

_His pensive cerulean eyes bore into the scene before him, for he knew that he was not only a second too late, but also a thousand miles behind too. While at the same time, amethyst eyes remorsefully gazed at the boy, who for so long held on to his feelings for HER best friend. This trip to the past was more draining than anyone ever had ever thought, and the boy, his emotions completely sapped out, didn't know if he could take anymore of this pain. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_Their happiness vanished when their bubbly ray of sunshine had to go away. And so did the blackmailing…_

_The girl returned to her usual indifferent, uncaring, and cold self, just like before her best friend came to the academy. And yet, who can blame her for being so stolid, when their source of comfort and light were to go away, just like that?_

_Yes, things were never again the same without that special girl in their lives. And due to her departure, gradual changes started to take place within the school._

_School regulations just got tighter, class 2B now seemed disheartened all the time, the weather turned gloomier as each dreary day dragged on, and even the birds who loved to chirp their earthly tunes everyday, rarely dropped by, only to stop and sing their own songs of mournful glum. _

_Nothing was quite the same, and if a minute felt like an hour without her, a day seemed like forever to anyone that that cheerful little girl left behind._

_The pain and longing in their hearts only increased as time passed, but it was quite doubled for the poor boy who only watched his best friend carry out his empty days in vain._

_XD-XD-XD_

_"Wait!"_

_The girl turned around to the voice who called at her. _

_"What is it, [insert name here]?"  
_

_The boy swallowed as a lump started to form in his throat. It was a bitter Autumn afternoon, and among the dozens of people who came to see the girl off before she headed off to Europe, he was the only one she turned a head for. The girl wound her scarf tighter around her neck. _

_"If you've got something to say, just say it now. Time is gold, and gold is money, now what is it?" The girl impatiently stated. _

_The boy wiped his cheek, and straightened his cap, "Nothing. Have a good trip." He gulped. _

_She rolled her eyes as she climbed into the parked limousine waiting in front of her, and as the boy watched the black stretch drive away with regretful eyes, he can't help but feel the fleeting sensation he had in his drumming heart. He closed his eyes as he put a hand to his throbbing chest. _

Ruka clutched his chest, leaving Ryumi with a perplexed look on his face.

"Papa, other than the girl he really liked, the blackmailing girl went away too?" The eight year old blonde leaned forward.

The solemn blonde in his mid-thirties nodded.

"Then why isn't he happy?"

"Because…" Ruka looked down.

_He can never allow this, never. How could he let himself….? This was way too far and impossible from happening, but somehow it did. He never wanted it to happen, but it just did. What if, it really can't be helped? _

_The way she moved, the way she walked. It simply took the boy away. The way her eyes shined or glinted, or how she would pick on him constantly, was absolutely stunning. After three years, the girl he once couldn't stand being with was now the girl he always wanted to be with. _

_The boy didn't know how or why, and he was really confused. As his mind screamed that it was time for him to let go, his heart calmly told him that there was a time for everything. And when his heart would hammer wildly in his chest whenever he saw this girl he once thought was the coldest human being alive, he could feel a different kind of warmth his mind would defiantly detest. _

_A transitory and fleeting feeling, and another resilient and loyal admiration that tried to fight it off… his mind was really spinning now._

The father paused to see how his son was doing, and not to his surprise, his mouth was hanging open.

"Ryumi, close your mouth. You might catch flies." Ruka chuckled as he shut Ryumi's mouth close.

Ryumi gulped loudly, his alarmed eyes widening ten times the size of a regular saucer.

"Papa, the boy fell in love with the bully?!" He hollered at his father, the bed springs dangerously creaking at his sudden bounce, the house cat peeping his head from underneath Ryumi's bed.

Ruka smiled, beckoning the kitten to climb onto his lap.

_He whistled his usual bird call as he sat there on the rooftop with a hand extended for a bird to perch on. Moments later, a bluebird alighted on the boy's finger as he put the bird near to hum something in his ear. _

_His eyes widened at the sudden hymn or rather, message, the little creature had to share with him. The bird flew away as he jumped off his sitting place, silently thanking his best friend for training him to have catlike reflexes at times of emergencies, just like times like these. _

Ryumi gravely processed the story, his train of thoughts spinning just like the rocket and constellation mobiles that hung over his head. Ruka stroked the kitten's auburn fur as he smiled in empathy for his dilemma-d son.

_She's cold and she's cruel but she knows what she's doin'._

_Knows just what to say so my whole day is ruined..._

_Just The Girl by Click Five  
_

* * *

Well? It was actually a challenge for me to write this one, which was the main reason why I took an entire week to write this. Second, there was school, so that's pretty much self-explanatory, and yeah... R&R! :


	4. Yellow and Purple Part II

I tried very hard to finish this story, so here goes the second part!

_

* * *

You wanna stay with me in the morning,_

_ You only hold me when I sleep._

_I was meant to tread in the water, _

_Now I've gotten in way too deep._

_For every piece of me that wants you,_

_Another piece backs away._

_**How I Met Your Mother – Yellow and Purple**_

"What happened?"

_Running, the boy tailed behind the girl who was killing distance on her scooter. Apparently, the girl also knew of the sudden news. _

_Then, they both came to a sudden halt, the girl's expression unfathomable, the boy's crestfallen. There, right in front of them, was the sweet Nullifier, now fifteen, with the boy's best friend, hugging. _

_The boy cringed as he felt a land lightly rest on his arm. He looked sidewards and found the girl with a small smile on her face. The boy's world came to pause, and resumed again when he at once, felt his heart give way for the new kind of feeling he was suddenly sensing as it hammered against his ribs in the situation before him. _

_But before he can finally be able to let go, there was still one last thing he had to do. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_"[insert name here]-san." _

_"[insert name here]-pyon!" The pretty brunette Nullifier called out to the boy who once had eyes only for her._

"Wait a sec!" Ryumi cut in, his head jerking forward.

"Hmm…?"

"'Pyon'? What the he – " The purple-eyed blonde boy incredulously asked.

"Watch your mouth." The blonde cerulean-eyed man immediately reprimanded his son.

Ryumi's hands flew to his mouth, the kitten scornfully eyeing him through narrowed eyes and a cocked head.

_Without hesitation, the boy took her hand and placed his other one on her shoulder. Everything was well thought of now, and the boy was quite sure he could take this risk in doing this last courageous act of boyhood infatuation for his childhood love. _

_The Nullifier smiled in confusion, and was startled when he pulled her in and kissed her forehead. _

"_I hope you can know of the feelings that I've kept for so long. I-I'm letting go of them now, that's why it really matters if you knew." The boy murmured. _

"_[insert name here]…" She stuttered and blushed. He suddenly held her in a tight embrace that startled the brunette even more. _

"_I just want you to know that I've always liked you before, but now that I've realized who you really belong with, I've decided to let you go… "He whispered into her chestnut brown hair. _

"_My heart belongs to someone else now. I hope you understand." She stroked his back apologetically. _

"_I know, I understand, I've let you go already. But that would never change the fact that even though it was never US in the end, you would always be my first love." The boy smiled, his unwavering blue eyes staring into her hazel ones. _

"_And you'll always be my first crush." The brunette girl replied, sheepishly grinning back. The both turned a fine shade of pink. _

"So, he let her go in the end, huh?" Ryumi muttered, his eyes distant.

"Uh-huh." Ruka nodded, his golden hair following the movement of his head.

The bemused eight year old stared out the window where the crescent-shaped moon barely showed from its hiding place in the clouds.

_As their high school years came and went, just like that, the boy couldn't help but think that time was slowly running out for him as each day ended without him confessing his true feelings for the girl. Her best friend tried to help him, but in the end, the girl's coldness and stolidity towards love would always come in the way and leave the boy face down on the dirt, unable to string three simple words yet again. _

_Time was running out, and graduation was drawing near. He didn't know what to do now. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_With her ethics set aside, she stood there in a deep embrace with her best friend, tears flowing from both of their eyes. They all knew the girl had to leave for Africa, just to help out the kids there with her latest innovations and inventions. Everyone was quite sad about this news, for they hated to see her leave once again, but also happy, since they were proud of her for moving on to great things once she finally stepped outside the Academy walls after eight long years. And nevertheless, the one who would always feel the most emotions on her sudden departure would none other be than her dearest best friend._

"_I – I'll miss you…" The girl's best friend sobbed into her shoulder, her diploma in hand. _

"_Me too, baka, me too…" The girl, who was now anything far from indifferent, said somberly, tears continuously flowing from her amethyst eyes. _

"_Keep in touch, 'kay?" The girl pulled away, for it was time for her to leave. She wiped a tear trickling down her best friend's cheek. _

_The brunette nodded._

"_Now give me your best smile." The girl weakly grinned at her best friend._

_She smiled, not exactly a big one, but one of her warmest, heartmelting, and sunniest smiles ever, and then held her hand before walking away. _

_The boy watched them from a distance, and gulped loudly, hoping to chase away the butterflies in his stomach and the lump in his throat. He walked forward. _

"_[insert name here]…" The boy called out to the girl. _

"_[insert name here]." She wiped away the remainder of her tears, her eyes suddenly turning shrewd and stoic the moment they met his. _

"_I – " The boy started anxiously._

"_Time is gold, and gold is money, [insert name here], now do you have something to say or not?" The girl snapped back crossly, while taking a quick glance at her watch._

"_I – Congratulations. Have a good trip, a-and, keep in touch." The boy merely smiled his crinkly-eyed smile that seemed to charm almost anyone but that one girl. _

_He waved his graduation diploma at her as a sign of saying goodbye. The girl nodded in acknowledgment and turned around to leave. And with that, they parted…_

"Woah, cold much?" Ryumi narrowed his eyes at his father, who apparently was being scrutinized by his son for telling a story where the boy parted too formally with the girl he wanted to confess to so much.

"Hold it, there's still more." Ruka raised his hands in front of him, his face wry.

"_Mine! [insert name here], don't! Give it back!" The boy shouted back at the girl. _

"What happened? Why the sudden time skip? What time was it?" Ryumi asked Ruka.

"They were in a friend's baby shower years later after graduation and just right after the girl's return from Africa." He replied plainly.

"_So shrill and noisy. Shut up, [insert name here]." The girl fired her deer-hoof glove at the boy, a box tied with a purple ribbon in her hand._

_She blew away the steam rising from her gun as the boy eyed her in desperation through narrowed cerulean eyes. _

_But then, the girl, with her cold glare and all, had a thought. _

_The girl's best friend helped the boy up, and as he dusted himself, the girl stared at the two of them almost spitefully. _

_Careful not to get caught, the girl crept to the coat rack and slipped a small box into his coat pocket. _

_XD-XD-XD_

"_What is this?" Girl and boy asked incredulously at the same time._

_The boy held out a small, clear box that had a purple gem sitting inside._

_The girl held out a yellow orb and a purple ribbon in the other hand._

"_What the hell?!" They both said at the same time._

_There was a short pause, followed by an awkward silence as the air was suddenly filled with bitter blows of early December wind and the sound of jolly Christmas songs. _

_The girl breathed in and jerked her head, motioning the boy to start talking._

"_You took that box from me, it's not my fault…" The boy told her nonchalantly._

_The girl glared at him through cold, questioning eyes, making the boy swallow in fright._

"_Ok, so I was meaning to give it to – " _

_The girl waved a hand dismissively. _

_She spoke, "And about the chocolates – "_

"_Oh yeah! I almost forgot! What were those anyway?!" The boy jumped up, cutting off the girl in mid-speech. _

"_Look…" They both chorused, the Christmas park lights glimmering in that December afternoon. _

"_You go first, [insert name here]." The girl ordered the boy._

_The boy huffed, his breath visible against the cold backdrop, "I found this," he paused to hold up the clear box, "in my coat pocket. It was filled with what seemed to be late valentine chocolates from somebody," he stopped again to raise an eyebrow at the uneasy girl, "and when I bit into the oddest, most deformed piece, I nearly broke my bicuspids and discovered this little fellow." The boy took the amethyst stone out of the small box, holding it in between two fingers with a benign grin on his face. _

_The girl nervously swallowed, and though it wasn't fathomable in her expression, her anxiety was reaching its boiling point as she held out the yellow stone in her palm._

"_I never got to give you anything before, ever. So that was a little FREE token from me for all those blackmail profits in the past years, just to return the favor. And this… It was in the box I took from you. Is it for her?" The girl plainly asked the boy, her voice nearly breaking in the last four words._

_The boy shook his head. The girl's heart skipped a beat, then she walked forward towards the boy, her feet light._

"_Hold out your hand." The girl mumbled gently._

_The boy held out his palm and she took the purple stone from his palm._

_She enclosed the two gems in her hand, and closed her eyes. A faint glow emanated from in between her fingers. The boy's eyes glinted as the luminous light reflected off his deep cerulean eyes. _

_Then the girl opened her hand, her solemn amethyst eyes focused on the Alice stone that formed on her palm. The stone was halfway between purple and yellow since it was a light violet color with several yellow swirls sticking out from here and there, and it held a soft glimmer as it twinkled against the frozen December sun._

"_What…?" The boy uttered, his expression astounded._

"_It's the last step in proposing." The girl tonelessly replied._

"_Where did you learn it from?"_

"_From…her." The girl looked up, a small smile, that held all the feeling in the world, painted on her lips. Her eyes sparkled, and so did the boy's._

"_Yurple?" The boy chortled._

"…_Or Pellow?" The girl jokingly added._

_They both grinned cheekily, and for the first time in years, the boy saw her cheeks fluster. _

"_Lovely color…Hmm, hmm." The boy admired the color of the stone he took in his hands, and the girl's cheeks._

"…_Just like the sunset, overhead." _

_Both looked up and saw some birds migrating south in the pink, orange-tinged sky that was bathed in the setting sun's light. _

"And that was how their old story ended, and new one begun." Ruka vaguely gazed off into his son's amethyst eyes.

Ryumi smiled a crinkly-eyed smile.

"So…what did you learn today?"

"I learned that girl bullies act that way because they might have hidden feelings for you, and…" The little boy counted his fingers.

"And…? Go on." Ruka tickled the kitten's chin, his gaze locked on his thoughtful little eight year old.

"And…History tends to find a way of repeating itself." He looked up, beaming at Ruka.

"You're a smart kid, just like your Mama…" Ruka mussed up his hair, chuckling.

"…and your Papa." An elegant raven-haired lady in a business suit greeted them from the armchair near the door.

"Uh-huh."

_'Cause you give me something that makes me scared, alright._

_This could be, nothing, but I'm willing to give it a try. _

_Please give me, something, 'cause someday I might know my heart._

_You Give Me Something by James Morrison

* * *

_

There! Finally finished with my second story! I honestly liked my first story, but I worked real hard on this one too! Hope it wasn't too cheesy for you guys to handle, so please review! Then after that, we move on to the next story! Please patiently wait for it, k? Yosh! \m/


	5. My Sassy Girl Part I

Super sorry for the late update! It's just that I got caught up in so many things these past few weeks, so the only chance I got to use the laptop for something "fun" was during this national, non-working holiday. Hope you enjoy this one as much as the other two. :D

**

* * *

**

_Lying in my bed,_

_I hear the clock tick and think of you,_

_Caught up in circles,_

_Confusion is nothing new._

**How I Met Your Mother: Retold**

_**How I Met Your Mother – My Sassy Girl**_

Spooning some mayo tuna dip, Kaname Andou sighed drearily as he spread a slab of the pale white glob on some wheat bread. Outside, the sun was shining bright – too bright, and the birds were whistling cheerful tunes that were not only annoying the hell out of him, but also giving him the urge to grab a slingshot and hit them all one by one.

What was wrong with him today anyway?

And just to make things worse, his father, Tsubasa, just entered the kitchen humming a jolly 'Ode to Joy' while walking over to the counter to pour himself a glass of orange juice.

God, did he just jinx it, or was it really by impulse that weird, 40 year-old dads, would just spontaneously kiss their 14-year old sons' foreheads by random?

Kaname gave a slight grimace behind Tsubasa's back, hoping he wouldn't see.

Tsubasa stopped whistling, then he turned around to face Kaname. Too late.

"What's wrong?"

"What dad? Uhh, nothing."

"Tell me."

"…"

"Fufufu, teenagers."

"Gah. Teen angst! There, you happy?"

Tsubasa raised a cynical eyebrow then pulled out a chair for himself. He sat down across the small kitchen table from Kaname and studied the way Kaname skillfully made his sandwich.

"What's that?"

"Whisked egg, vinegar, oil with halibut flakes on bruschetta." Kaname nonchalantly said as he was about to bite into his creation.

"You mean a tuna sandwich?"

"I guess so." Kaname shrugged.

Tsubasa chuckled.

"You know, this kind of takes me back", Tsubasa told him with a dreamy expression in his eyes.

"What?"

"It reminds me of a story. My story in fact, no, OUR story." The shadow-user smiled.

"Really, I'd rather no – "

Tsubasa cleared his throat.

_This takes me back to when I was only three years old, and I was a new transferee in Gakuen Alice. I remembered that time, the Academy cafeteria was serving their famous tuna sandwiches and I arrived just in time to snag myself a piece from the last batch. _

_Of course, that was a memorable part of my life since that was the day I first met her…. _

"Should I care to know who it was?"

"Your mother, of course."

_Anyway, going back to the story, there was this really mean and arrogant kid who held me back in the hallways, forcing me to hand over half of my lunch money to him, therefore making me late in time for lunch. _

_And as I tiptoed to reach out for that last piece of sumptuous tuna mayo wrapped in delicate white bread, the lunch lady gratefully handed out the last piece to me - or so I thought…_

"_Hey that's MY sandwich, give it baaack!" A girl with bouncy pink hair wailed at me._

"_I saw it first!" I hollered back, pushing her with my short arms to a good 12 inches. _

"_Did not!" She charged at me like a bull, her round little face turning bright red in anger._

"_Did to, bleh!" I stuck out a tongue at her, only to have MY sandwich snatched away from me. _

"_Hey!"_

"_It's MINE, bleh." She stuck out a tongue to me._

_"You're mean," my small voice broke.  
_

"_Are you crying?" She stared at me mockingly._

"_N-no. That's MY sandwich anyway." I sucked in a deep intake of breath, hastily blinking back the tears forming in my eyes._

_"..."  
_

"_Not really, it's MY sandwich you twirps." I noticed the same bully from the hallways interrupt our fight and snatch away the tuna from the girl. _

"_But…" We both stuttered in unison, then he pushed us both, making us fall to the floor._

_"..."  
_

_We scowled at the bully as he walked away._

"_What's your name?"_

"_Tsubasa. How 'bout you?"_

"_Misaki. Wanna help me beat up that big fat meanie?"_

"_Yeah!"_

_So in the end, it appeared that our love for tuna and beating up the preschool bully were the things that really brought us together in the first place._

"Well, erm, as much as I would love to hear more," Kaname coughed, "that was a nice story, but I really have to get going." He cheekily grinned at Tsubasa, just in time to have his sandwich snatched away from him.

"But that's mine!"

"Sorry, sonny, I'm not quite done with my story yet. Take a seat." Tsubasa grinned back.

Kaname rolled his eyes as he sat back down.

_It was just as clear as day when I remembered Misaki saving me from Tono's evil clutches when we were twelve. Apparently, Tono was the new guy and had this strange hobby of bullying me and Megane. During that time, he picked on us by hanging us both to the academy plaza – by our underwear. Man, that day was unforgettable, especially since our butts really stinged weeks after the incident.  
_

_Anyway, the day of the daring lamppost rescue ended on a hilarious note when Misaki sent over two of her clones to beat up Tonouichi Akira in his dorm room. Half of the academy overheard his girlish screams of horror as the two Misaki clones beat the crap out of him during that afternoon. _

"Wow. I never knew you got bullied throughout your elementary and junior high years." Kaname monotonously told his father, eyeing the tuna sandwich in his hand.

"Who told you I got bullied in my junior high years?!"

"Mom."

"Oh." Tsubasa took a nervous bite from the tuna, earning him a begrudging glare from Kaname.

_It was the afternoon of the big Gakuen Alice Festival After Party, and as I sat there, I carefully planned out the things I was going to tell her._

_"Hey! How's it going, err, so I was wondering if…" I anxiously mumbled to myself, pacing back and forth outside the dorm building where she was bound to appear with her friends._

_Then, the birds chorused and the sun shone brightly on that very scene in time for the double doors to swing open to reveal the prettiest girl in Gakuen Alice junior high history. I stopped pacing just in time to acknowledge her astounding presence. _

_"Juri!" I called over to the blonde-haired beauty._

_"Oh…" she turned to whisper something in her friend's ear, who in turn mumbled something back, "Shigu – Tsubasa…" she whispered to another friend's ear who nodded in reply, "Andou." Juri forced a smile._

_"So…What brings on this fine day outside the dormitories in time for our afternoon shopping session?"_

_"Erm, well, I-I k-know it's sorta sh-short notice, but I w-was wondering… i-if you could – ", I stuttered incoherently, just as Juri and her friends raised a skeptical eyebrow at me._

_"Hm, I don't' think so Hana – Andou." Juri sneered, moving her head to face her posse who giggled scornfully at me._

_"Goodbye, Ya – Tsubasa-kun. See you later." She smirked, walking away with her posse, leaving me behind crestfallen and rejected in the setting sun._

"So maybe you do get me…" Kaname stared off blankly, his expression glum.

"So who did you take for the dance?" Kaname asked Tsubasa, his head whipping up in curiosity.

Tsubasa smiled.

_The excited buzz of the Gakuen Alice students as they got ready for the night's festivities filled the air, but being rejected and all, it all seemed like a blur to me. I idly shook off the growing excitement and shivered a bit against the bitter autumn chills. It was getting late, but I honestly couldn't care less as I sat there on that bench, aloof._

"_Tsubasa? What are you doing here? Why aren't you dressed yet?" A surprised voice loomed over me._

_"What's there to get excited about? Juri rejected me, so I have no one to take to the dance." I muttered gloomily, not looking up but knowing whose concerned tone it was that was speaking to me._

_There was a short silence, followed by a soft, warm hand grabbing mine._

_"Let's go and get you dressed, I think I've found my date tonight." She beamed at me warmly. _

_And maybe it was something in her smile, or her heart-shaped face that was framed elegantly by delicate pink hair, or maybe how she called out my name to me whether angry or kind and laughed at the sight of my foolish demeanor, or maybe there was something in the air I was breathing or the water I drank that day that suddenly made me see her this way. Today, Misaki Harada suddenly seemed like a different person… maybe it was because today, she just seemed, I don't know, perfect?_

_The faint glow of fireworks and moonlight bathed the surroundings, making them seem almost mystic, but my gaze was only fixed on one thing alone; and that thing was her radiant face._

_Yes, perfect._

_"I gladly accept your invitation. Now, Harada-san, shall we?" I got up and smiled my best smile at her._

_"Sure, why not Andou-kun? But first, I'm not sure if I can show my face to a party where even my date's not dressed." Misaki lightly giggled, glancing over at our uniforms._

_XD-XD-XD_

_The night of the Gakuen Alice Festival After Party when I was fourteen was the most memorable After Party I've ever had, mainly because: One, I got to see Mikan and Hotaru for the first time in their cute angel outfits. Two, it was the first time I've ever seen Ruka-pyon dance with anybody almost too willingly. Three, Yuri-sama was dressed up as a guy. Four, it was a memorable night for the Tokuryouku-kei who had won the "Special Award" for the first time. Five, because Misaki was there to take me as her date, and I was there to take her as my date, and six, there was just something about the way she simply looked that made my heart flutter and stomach whirl, or was it just me? _

_That incident only proved how much Misaki and I grew closer throughout the years. Misaki saw us as brother and sister, but that night, that one night, I wished for us to be something different… and something more._

Kaname looked at his father quizzically, as if to snap him out of the trance he was currently in. It was particularly new to the fourteen year-old to see his father in such a sentimental state – but then again, Kaname never figured out Tsubasa's peculiar temperament…

Tsubasa closed his eyes, reminiscing the memories of his teen years that were filled with hardships, friendships and newfound love. He had so much to tell Kaname, if only they had more time, and if only Kaname was the type to listen, Tsubasa was sure that his son would understand and relate perfectly to the stories of his boyhood.

But Kaname was completely aware of the fact his father wanted to tell him more, no questions asked. So as Tsubasa leaned back on his chair and adjusted his glasses on his aged face, the ash-haired teen mumbled something to his father.

"Tell me more, Dad."

_Today, the Academy seemed more, I don't know, less troubled yet in a buzz of the rumors that four Academy students went outside Academy walls to infiltrate the Z base. Cynics and believers were widespread across the entire school, while I smirked at the mere idea of hero worship some students offered up to the rumored heroes and heroine of the so-called "Infiltration"._

_It was really amusing how majority of the student body were completely unaware of the events that took place in the previous days, especially under the efforts of the Student Council to keep the whole thing under hush hush. I honestly wouldn't mind any adoring fans by now, since we went through a lot just to get that antidote and come back alive and all, but anyway, Sakurano says that this can't leak out, so whatever he intended about that, everyone knew that what the council president says goes. _

_I sighed at the thought of the fleeting fandom that could have been mine, but at least I had this to look forward to: a warm cozy bed that's a nice change for a mattress of earthen ground and an itchy blanket of leaves. _

_The ghost of twilight fast entered my mind as I once again scanned the isolated school grounds for any students that may have been following me from the high school building._

_I could've sworn I felt a series of footsteps tracing my own as I sauntered around the academy grounds to the comfort of my own dorm room that night. I took a last look back only to catch the leaves rustling in the wind and the moon shyly peeping from behind the clouds. I raised an eyebrow as I concentrated on using my shadow-work in getting up the window of my room._

_XD-XD-XD_

"_GAH!" A pair of arms flung around my neck as I stumbled across the room._

"_Tsubasa! Where have you been, idiot?"_

_My hands blindly groped for the light switch as this complete stranger practically mangled me to death in my dark room._

_"What the - ? Misaki?!" I incredulously took in the person who technically harassed me in my own dorm._

_"What? Oh, sorry. It's just that, we've been really worried…" Misaki kept her hold around my neck, her expression relieved._

_It was then that I realized our faces were merely inches apart, her warm breath gingerly caressing my face. My nerves went haywire and my heart nearly jumped out of my ribcage, enough to send a message to my brain, who in turn signaled for me to put a stop to this hard-to-forget, nerve-wracking instance. I held in my breath from taking in any more of her scent._

_Then, I cleared my throat._

_"Oh, sorry." Misaki let her arms fall, and looked down apologetically, her cheeks turning a deep shade of scarlet._

_I also felt my cheeks grow hot as the awkward 30-second silence was followed by the words:_

_"I was really worried about you."_

"Wow, childhood sweethearts, and… this." Kaname exaggeratedly gestured to himself.

"… you've really got it all cut out for yourselves." He continued, a morose expression following the remnants of his last statement. Tsubasa offered the half-eaten sandwich to his son.

"Not exactly." Tsubasa shook his head, Kaname taking a relished bite from the tuna.

_Ah, Christmas time, 'tis the season for jolly Christmas tunes, selfless giving, and winter folly. I reckon this was the time when it was the morning of the big Gakuen Alice Christmas Ball and everyone was busy doing some last minute Christmas shopping, scribbling away on the gift lists, and getting the preparations ready for the night's Christmas Party. _

_Everyone was in the holiday mood and anyone was bound to whack anyone – even their best friends, who turned out to be complete Scrooges at that time. Sure, it sounded funny and unreasonable, but I was sure that everybody who was in the caught up in this jolly mood would give anything for a perfect Christmas._

_For me, that Christmas was a memorable one since it was the last Christmas I was going to spend at the Academy, and in order to make it more memorable and unforgettable, I had to do something to mark this certain event. I knew, really knew, that this was the moment…_

_Over the years, Misaki has had a steady stream of courters and courtships that she underwent with ladylike poise and elegance. Well, of course, everyone knew Misaki wasn't THAT elegant or ladylike, but you get my point when being "ladylike" means turning down every boy that ever came knocking on Misaki's single life._

_Apparently, the usual routine took a change in pace when Misaki uttered her first 'yes' to a boy from the Taijutsu-kei who had this Superman Alice, and this month, Misaki got her heart broken by that same bastard. _

_Really, I'm practically sure anyone who messes with Misaki messes with me. And yet…_

_Point is, that guy became Misaki's first boyfriend, a spot I could've taken into possession easily if only I've made my move first. Dammit._

_I'm guessing this a sign from the heavens that it's finally time I make a move; comfort, cheer up, and confess my feelings – to Harada Misaki. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_I gave a wink to Iinchou to signal the visual effects. He nodded in reply._

_"Tsubasa…Mistletoe." Misaki looked up at the delicate little waxy green leaves that seemed to grow and grow from the thin woody stem and the round white berries that hung plump from its stems. _

_I grinned. The moment seemed perfect, but it was all ruined when Misaki shed a tear that was quickly followed by a stream of fat salty tears._

_'No.' I thought dejectedly. Misaki wrapped me in a deep embrace and buried her face into my chest. _

_Seeing her like this really made my heart ache…_

_Then, the mellow tune of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" broke the noise of the Christmas hall and abruptly turned the atmosphere into a silent and calm one._

'_**Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light.'**_

_I glanced down at Misaki's quavering form._

'_**From now on our troubles will be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas…"**_

_The entire hall fell quiet as the singer's enticing melodies made its mark on that serene moment._

'_**Make the Yule-tide gay, from now on, our troubles will be miles away…'**_

_I'm not sure if she's up to it, but I'll give it a try._

'_**Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore.'**_

_Making sure I started out slow, I first secured my hold around her and then gently swayed with her to the Lento Moderato tune. _

_I noticed her body stiffening, then her head jerked up tentatively. I studied her expression; carefully looking back at her teary pink orbs that met my sincere indigo ones, noticing the flushing of cheeks as her breathing steadied, and the way her thin lips were mashed into a straight, unwavering line. I patted her back as she once again muzzled her face to my chest. _

'_**Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more…'**_

_Iinchou gave me a wink and gave us the illusion of a clear midnight sky, where the stars freely twinkled and we seemed to be dancing on thin wisps of cloud – just the two of us.  
_

'_**Through the years we all will be together  
If the Fates allow  
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.  
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.'**_

_I stopped swaying and once again stared down at Misaki. Her expression was now composed and serene, though the ghost of her tears was still visible in her face. The singer finished with her last notes until there was silence…_

_Then, Misaki tiptoed to kiss my cheek and turned her back on me, walking away from the dissolving midnight sky and leaving me in the middle of the Christmas hall scene. _

Tsubasa got up and started to collect the used plates and glassware, startling a preoccupied Kaname.

The fourteen year-old stood up and followed his father to the sink, anxious to hear more from the disgruntled Tsubasa.

_If you're lost, you can look and you will find me,_

_Time after time._

_If you fall, I would catch you, I'll be waiting,_

_Time after time..._

_Time After Time by Quietdrive

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_

Phew, longest chapter ever... That took me a while to write too! (more than two weeks - to be kind of exact, haha) Kindly leave your reviews. XD


	6. My Sassy Girl Part II

**Diclaimer: Foxtrotelly rightfully respects the works of **_**My Sassy Girl **_**writers Victor Levin (English screenplay), Jae-young Kwak (Korean screenplay), and Ho-sik Kim (novel). And of course, I give all copyrights to art genius Higuchi Tachibana-sensei.**

_Tell me did you sail across the sun,_

_Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded,_

_And that heaven is overrated._

_Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star,one without a permanent scar,_

_And did you miss me,_

_While you were looking for yourself out there.  
_

_**How I Met Your Mother – My Sassy Girl**_

"Could you pass me the soap?"

"Oh, wait…here you go."

"Thanks."

Kaname gazed at his father for awhile, wondering if there was still more to the story his father wasn't telling him about. He thought long and hard of the things he was going to say, and Tsubasa noticed the unusual silence. The midnight-haired man looked up from the suds and dishes and caught his son's eye.

"Is there more to this story that you're not telling me about?" Kaname questioned his father suspiciously.

"…"

"…Then why did it end on such a cut-off mood? Or something… whatever, I don't know", the ash-haired boy rolled his eyes as he wiped a dish dry.

Tsubasa heaved a sigh.

_Forget about Christmas time and all that, because even though it mattered to me the first few nights after the whole walking out thing, Misaki seemed to treat me as if nothing happened between us a week later the incident. _

_So maybe her heart was too broken to open up to love again, maybe she didn't want me as her boyfriend, maybe she didn't want us to go past friends, and maybe, she wanted me to be her best friend forever, nothing more. These thoughts only made my heart burst and ache even more. _

_Why did she have this tendency to hurt me this much? Can't she have a resolution to stop breaking my heart from now on?_

_And yet…_

_Maybe no matter how much she wounds me, even if nobody ever hurt like her and no matter how much she distances herself from me, maybe, just maybe, my heart would always come back leaping to her._

"Certified heartbreaker too…", Kaname mumbled to himself as he shook his head.

_As for graduation, well I don't know. What if her ideal graduation gift to me was a trip, a trip away from it all, for God-knows-how-long, and a parting letter instead of a goodbye kiss?_

_**Tsubasa,**_

_**Today, you're probably reading this letter because I gave it to you tearfully or you broke into my room hoping to find me right after the concluding rites. Knowing you, you would've broken into my room. Either way, still knowing you, you'd probably get your hands on this letter even if I wasn't the one who gave it to you.**_

_**Look, Tsubasa, I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry for being such a stupid jerk and I'm sorry for breaking your heart. Though breaking your heart was the last thing I intended on doing, I don't think that a girl like me can ever deserve such a great guy like yourself. Sweet, brave, clever and not to mention handsome; those are the things I might as well admit are the words that best describe Andou Tsubasa in the eyes of Harada Misaki.**_

_**As to my whereabouts, I don't know where I can go. Things have been great, but I think it's about time I escape this city for awhile and find myself somewhere 15k yen, red Converse chucks and a packed suit case can take me. Don't bother looking for me, because I'm not worth the effort, don't bother missing me, because I'm not worth the heartache, and most importantly, don' bother loving me, because I'm simply not worth it.**_

_**I love you Tsubasa, so there I said it. But we both perfectly know that a girl who just left her best friend doesn't deserve any loving from him. Heck, I don't think I even have the right to be called your best friend.**_

_**I don' know where God may take me, and I most certainly don't know how long I'll be gone. But all I know is this: When I'll finally become a better person and when I'll finally find myself, I'll only return to you, and only you.**_

_**And... if we never see each other again and you're out walking one day, and you feel this certain…presence, beside you, that would be me…loving you wherever I am.**_

_**With all my loving,**_

_**Misaki**_

_My eyes looked up from the white carnation-printed stationery and elegant, slanted cursive as they scanned the entire dorm room for anything that could've taken my mind away from the very thought of Misaki running away to God-knows-where, a prey for all looming perverts and snatchers alike. But I knew Misaki, and growing up with her for more than ten years, I was perfectly relieved at the knowledge that Misaki was capable of taking care of herself. Heck, that's why I loved her anyway. _

_Love… What could I do to remove this heavy weight in my heart, caused by the fact that she actually thought she could never deserve my love. I smirked to myself as tears trickled from my midnight blue eyes._

"So, where did she really go?" Kaname gently asked Tsubasa.

"Hm, someplace in the countryside, I think she stayed with her grandparents", Tsubasa said bluntly.

"When did you get to see her again?" The gray-eyed teenager inquired his father.

"_Megane!" I called out to my long-time buddy who just came in through the glass doors._

"_Tsubasa! Is Misaki here yet? Oooh, I can't wait to meet her!" Megane ran across the restaurant to greet me._

"_Nah, she said she'd meet us here in about five minutes. Anyway, enough about that, what's going on with you?" I grinned at him._

"_Erm, well, oh, could you excuse me for awhile? I need to use the toilet…" _

"_Hm, it's outside, just turn right."_

_I watched Megane stride over to the door, then turn back around a second later and sit down next to me another second later. _

"_Back so fast?" I laughed._

"_It's ah – she's, woah!" Megane blabbered._

_I raised a sardonic eyebrow._

"_I saw her! Ah, ah, ah. Like, I mean, you know. And then, woah there!" He pressed on, his expression incredulous._

_I shook my head in sympathy for my mentally-challenged friend._

"_Gah! I was like 'Oh snap'. Then she, ah – "_

"_Are you under any specific medications I should know about?" I asked him scornfully through narrowed eyes._

_But then, who was I kidding? Maybe Megane really did have a shred of sanity and appropriate thinking left in him._

_I'm guessing this was so worth missing that important meeting just to meet up with her. And I'm also guessing two years of waiting in vain were so worth for the five minutes I took out of my time to wait for her here. And today, I guess the heartache was worth it for this moment too._

_When that one girl walked through those doors, the world went in slow motion mode – well, for me I guess, and Megane's and the whole room's jabber just got blocked out by my ears. I gazed at her, stunned._

_The very first things that caught my attention were her bright pink eyes and those pearly white teeth set in a dazzling smile. Her flowing pink hair, now longer, was done in a messy and loose braid that bounced against her back whenever she moved. And the way she moved… it seemed that she had a special poise and charm to her that I couldn't quite get. Her rose-colored cheeks and cream-colored skin were accentuated against her dark blue frock, making her seem…radiant._

_She moves her head and swiftly scans the place, hoping to catch a glimpse of her two dear friends. I'm guessing that by the way her smile widened and her eyes twinkled, she finally found our table._

_Oh snap, she walking towards us…_

_"Megane!" Misaki waved as she continued to walk towards our table._

_"…Tsubasa", her gaze lingered on me as her face turned solemn for a split second. Then she smiled again and made her way to the table._

_"Guys, I'd like you to meet Sonoda Takeru, my fiancé." _

_My hardly etched smile vanished. I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat. My heart felt heavy then, when I read her letter when I broke into her room, and it felt heavier now, now that I saw that glimmering ring present on her finger. _

_XD-XD-XD_

_I cannot believe I missed a meeting for this. I cannot believe she punched my arm – hard, at least a dozen times today. I cannot believe she thought I was in a gay relationship with Megane. I cannot believe how much she's changed throughout these years. I cannot believe she forgot and broke her promise… and I cannot believe she's engaged._

_On the reasons to stop seeing her side, we have: One, ongoing physical danger – my left arm got bruised by her today. Two, high likely-hood of a broken heart – sheesh, two years and THIS. Three, uh career sabotage – my boss is going to KILL me for missing that meeting. Four, she is clinically insane – no, Misaki, I'm not planning to grow man boobs anytime soon. Five, she seems to enjoy my pain – she goes out and gets engaged, nope, nothing wrong with that. Six, fourteen piece matched set of Louis Vuitton emotional baggage – don't even get me started on how she got that 30k Gucci handbag, 16 carat diamond ring, and Barbie plastic smile on her face. Seven, I haven't kissed her yet, for God's sakes – I'm a man in his twenties who hasn't even had his first kiss yet. Uh eight, she's ruining my life – that girl would be the death of me, this I swear._

_And the reasons to keep seeing her?_

_I'm in love with her – still madly in love with her._

"Weren't those lines from _My Sassy Girl?_" Kaname asked his father laconically.

"…It sells", Tsubasa nonchalantly shrugged.

_"Misaki!" I called out to her._

_"What is it Tsubasa?" She spat, the irritated tone in her voice rising out._

_The park lights glimmered on that warm, summer night. The moon was visibly shining in the sky, but no stars were present to twinkle in the wake of a fleeting friendship – this was Tokyo after all._

_"I know you're not happy", I told her, trying my best to keep it sincere and unwavering._

_"Well, I'm sorry if it's just hitting in you in the face, but I, I'm getting married in a week, so there! And don't be silly, I've never been happier – it is a June wedding after all!" she retorted, the venom in her words lashing at me._

_"…" _

_"If you don't want to come, then don't. But remember this; if ever you did come, you would always have the place as MY best man, never forget that", Misaki told me, her voice on the verge of breaking._

_I sucked in a deep breath, and said, "I'm not jealous, and I want to be happy for you. Because," I paused as I gazed over at Misaki, who was now a good 3 meters away from me, on the brink of tears, "The only man that I'll ever envy, is the man that wins your heart. And I'll always believe it was my destiny to be that man."_

_She looked at me with the saddest and most pitiful look of desperation in her eyes. _

_"Tsubasa, just leave me alone. I – "_

_"Look, as much as I would love to use another cheesy pick-up line from some equally mushy movie, I'd rather say it straight: You don't have to force yourself to love somebody. If you're not happy with him, then just say so. But if you still decide on getting married next week, I'm apologizing in advance for not being able to make it."_

_A crushing silence swallowed the whole scene, with only the swaying trees and howling wind to be heard._

_"Goodbye Tsubasa", her voice finally broke. I could tell she was tearing up by then, only, I wasn't able to see since she started to turn her back on me and walk away._

_And no, I wasn't going to cry._

"What is it with you and the cheesy lines from _My Sassy Girl _anyway?!"Kaname remarked dubiously as he wiped his hands on a dishcloth.

"I never really knew", Tsubasa, now down to his last scrubbing, plainly told Kaname without looking up from what he was doing.

_On that day, that one dreadful day, I remembered the time when Misaki told me she always wanted a June wedding._

_Today, is Misaki's June wedding, a dream granted. I hope she'll be happy, from now on, even without me in her life._

_I slumped down on the couch and was accompanied by the pattering sound of raindrops on the roof and against the window in my unrequited grief._

_XD-XD-XD_

_My head jerked up at the sudden sound of knocking on the door. I lazily got up and trudged over to see who could possibly be in the right mind to disturb me now._

_ The last person I possibly expected to turn up on my doorstep right now eventually turned out to be the person standing on my doorstep right now._

_She was practically dripping from head to toe as she stood there, anxious and lost, in front of me. Her hair, now a lopsided mess, was composed of a deformed bun of some sort sticking out on the left side of her head and a third of her hair hanging down past her shoulders, dripping wet. Her long, white dress was now a muddy masterpiece that looked like a 5 year-old ran his soiled hands all over it, and her bare shoulders violently trembled along with her whole body. _

_Blue lips, snow-white skin, shivering composure, and weary eyes, made the invincible Harada Misaki look…frail._

"_I'm guessing a certain someone ran away from the most important day of her life, huh?"_

_Misaki glumly nodded and wound her arms around her body tighter._

_"Does that explain why you appear here, in front of me, looking like a drowned rat?" I scoffed sympathetically._

_Then, she fainted there and then, falling in my open and ready arms._

_XD-XD-XD_

_As we sat there on the couch, with Misaki cradled in my arms, I listened intently; to the loud pitter-pattering of the rain pouring down in torrents against the windows of my apartment, my own breath – slow and calm, and her steady heartbeat, beating against my own – fluttering and uneasy. _

_And as I sat there, I could've sworn I had never seen such a beautiful and serene face before._

_I couldn't have wished for a better and more perfect moment, even with my wild, thrashing heart, and I wouldn't wish to freeze time so that we could stay like this forever, because I knew more perfect moments were yet to come. I couldn't even ask for more, other than to keep this newfound relief and melting warmth._

"So you wanted to know how I met your mother, and there, the story's done", Tsubasa turned off the tap and wiped his hand on a dishcloth, a triumphant and pleased expression on his face.

"Uh, actually, Dad, I never really – ", Kaname began to speak.

"What happened between you and that girl you asked to the spring dance, anyway? What's her name – Keiko?"

"How did you - ? It's Ayumi, gah, wait – I'd rather not talk about it…" Kaname hesitantly mumbled as his face turned to a deep shade of red.

"You should just take Chari, seriously", Tsubasa grinned.

Kaname looked down just as a voice was heard outside the kitchen door that led out to the backyard.

"Kaname! You promised me you'd take me to the town plaza! They have hot wings on half price!" a female voice shrieked, making Kaname shrink in his seat.

"Dammit, Andou! I know you're in there!"

"Kaname, do you know why the sky is blue?" Tsubasa started as his bat his eyes playfully at his disgruntled son.

"Because the reflection from the sun causes…" Kaname timidly spoke up.

"Wrong! It's to make Chari happy. Chari wanted it to be blue, so it's blue. You know why fire is hot? It's all for Chari. She wanted it to be hot, so it's hot. You know why we have four seasons here in Japan?" Tsubasa smugly looked at the ash-haired teen.

"For Chari?" Kaname sheepishly grinned.

"Precisely", Tsubasa jokingly nudged him.

"…"

"Now go along now, you have five seconds to get out of this house", the midnight-haired man snapped, his tone and expression turning cold and ominous.

Kaname quickly got up and retreated away from his tedious looking father, hoping to make a quick get away from him as soon as possible. A day with Chari out in the plaza was certainly more of a box of chocolates than this.

Tsubasa wore a triumphant smirk on his face as he watched his son step out the door.

"Good work, Tsubasa." And with that, the shadow-user gave himself a satisfied pat on the shoulder.

_Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken,_

_Your best friend always sticking up for you - even when I know you're wrong._

_Can you imagine no first dance, freeze-dried romance,_

_Five mile phone conversations, the best soy latte that you ever had..._

_And me._

_Drops of Jupiter by Train_

_

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_Love it? Hate it? I really had a fun time making this one - especially since I'm stuck here at home, sick. That was my third fanfic; now done! Make me feel better by leaving any kind of review. XD


	7. Author's Note

Author's Note

I'm terribly sorry this only came out now, it's just that the laptop needed to be repaired so I experienced three hard weeks without a computer. Anywho, I'd like to give out my many thanks to those who continued to support my fic 'til the end. Though I've made some minor mistakes in the storyline of my chapters, I hope the next fic would be a bigger and better one. I'm sure constructive criticism helps, so if ever you happen to chance upon my fic because of this note, feel free to comment whatever you like.

My next fic would be a two-chappie – ok, that's all I'm giving away. :D Haha, still brainstorming for a nice title, but seeing that I won't give you the storyline, I'll have to do the brainstorming myself.

Yes, I'm finally back,

Foxtrotelly.


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